Exodus 22:19

Posted on March 13, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 22:19 Qui coierit cum iumento, morte moriatur.

Whoever has intercourse with a beast shall surely be put to death.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Qui whoever PRON.NOM.SG.M.REL
2 coierit has had intercourse 3SG.FUTP.ACT.IND.IRREG
3 cum with PREP+ABL
4 iumento a beast NOUN.ABL.SG.N.2ND DECL
5 morte with death NOUN.ABL.SG.F.3RD DECL
6 moriatur let him die 3SG.PRES.SUBJ.DEP.IND

Syntax

Subject: Qui — general legal subject (“whoever”).
Action of the Protasis: coierit cum iumento — completed sexual act marked by future perfect (coierit).
Prepositional Phrase: cum iumento — accompaniment with beast.
Main Legal Penalty: morte moriatur — ablative of means (morte) + subjunctive of command (moriatur).
Force: Legal formula meaning “shall surely be executed.”

Morphology

  1. Qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of condition; Translation: “whoever”; Notes: introduces general legal case.
  2. coierit — Lemma: coeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular future perfect active indicative (irregular); Function: verb of protasis; Translation: “has had intercourse / shall have had intercourse”; Notes: future perfect signals legally completed act.
  3. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: accompaniment; Translation: “with”; Notes: standard construction.
  4. iumento — Lemma: iumentum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of cum; Translation: “beast”; Notes: general livestock term.
  5. morte — Lemma: mors; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: ablative of means; Translation: “with death”; Notes: part of legal penalty formula.
  6. moriatur — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: verb (deponent); Form: 3rd singular present deponent subjunctive; Function: main verb expressing legal command; Translation: “let him die / he shall die”; Notes: jussive subjunctive in capital penalty.

 

About Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Born around 346 A.D. in Stridon, St. Jerome was a scholar fluent in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew whose ascetic discipline and deep engagement with Scripture prepared him for a monumental task: translating the Bible into Latin. Commissioned by Pope Damasus I around 382 A.D., Jerome began by revising the flawed Old Latin Gospels, then expanded his work to the entire Bible. For the New Testament, he corrected Latin texts using Greek manuscripts; for the Old Testament, he translated most books directly from Hebrew—a controversial but principled choice. His final Psalter, however, followed the Greek Septuagint tradition for liturgical use. This composite translation, later known as the Vulgate (editio vulgata), became the authoritative biblical text of the Western Church, formally endorsed at the Council of Trent in 1546. The Vulgate’s influence extends beyond theology into textual criticism and Latin education. As one of the earliest translations grounded in original-language scholarship, it offers a vital witness to the state of biblical texts in late antiquity. Jerome’s lexical and syntactic decisions are studied to trace manuscript history and assess variant readings. Its elegant Latin, consistent in grammar and rich in vocabulary, became a model for medieval and Renaissance learning, bridging classical and ecclesiastical Latin. More than a translation, the Vulgate helped define Christian doctrine, preserved the Latin language, and laid essential groundwork for the critical study of Scripture—remaining indispensable to students of Latin, theology, and textual history.
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